Love Story
by Sage of Silence
Summary: OoT Zelink drabble set to Taylor Swift's "Love Story". First fic, reviews/criticism appreciated.


Author's Note: Huzzah, my first fanfiction! Normally, I hate songfics, but I heard this song and the darn plot bunny just kept hopping around in my head, so, here it is. Sort of a stream-of-consciousness-ish style, I guess, from Zelda's perspective. Reviews/criticism are always welcome and appreciated. Set in the post-OoT universe where Zelda sent Link back in time-otherwise, the math at the end doesn't add up.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda, or the song "Love Story". I do, however, use them without paying.

**Love Story**

Italics are lyrics to "Love Story", by Taylor Swift.

_We were both young when I first saw you  
I close my eyes  
And the flashback starts  
I'm standing there  
On a balcony of summer air_

We were 11. So young, but yet so old. How do you explain the bond that forms when two people have lived a life that no one else knows about? That no one can ever know about?

You came to see me in the courtyard, after… after I sent you back. Truth be told, I couldn't believe you'd want to talk to me. If someone had told me "hey, thanks for saving the world, but now I'm going to send you back in time and no one can ever know what you've done", I would have been royally pissed off.

Pun intended.

Not you, though. You even wanted to remember everything, which was an unexpected kink in my plans. Sometimes, I wonder why.

You tried to return the ocarina, told me you had to go look for a friend. "No, keep it," I said. "It might help you in your search, somehow."

Your smile lit up your face. I still remember that moment. "Thanks, Princess," you replied. "I'll bring it back, I swear." You chuckled. "In one piece." I grinned.

"You'll come back, right?" I asked nervously. "I mean…"

"I promise."

***

_See the lights,  
See the party, the ball gowns_

We were 15. It was the Midwinter Gala, I believe. No, I know it was the Midwinter Gala. It was snowing outside. The snowflakes looked like falling stars; I couldn't help but make a wish.

My father and I were perched above the dance floor in our thrones, bedecked in precious metals and stones, rich furs, and all the other trappings royalty are forced to wear. I wasn't particularly thrilled about the situation. I would much rather have been dancing. Or riding. Or pretty much anything, actually.

_I see you make your way through the crowd  
You say hello  
_

I'll admit, I was caught off guard. You looked so much older, so much more mature. Still wore that ridiculous hat, though. My father eyed you suspiciously as you approached the throne.

You kissed the back of my hand and looked up me. "Your Highness, you look wonderful tonight. Would you care to dance?"

I practically leapt out of my seat and dragged you onto the inlaid wooden floor before my father could protest. "You'll have to lead," you mumbled, "since I don't really know how to dance or anything."

I grabbed your hand and put it on my waist and took your other hand in mine. "Then, why, exactly, did you ask me to dance?" I asked amusedly.

You chuckled. "Because, Zel, you looked more bored than a Zora in the desert." "And," you leant in and whispered into my ear, "you really do look wonderful tonight." "But," you smirked, "mostly because you looked bored." I rolled my eyes. "It beats sitting there, right?"

"Yes, Link, it most definitely does. So," I ventured, "did you find what you were looking for?"

You smiled. "Yes and no. Let me tell you all about it."

***

A few hours later, the dance had ended, and Impa and I were in my room trying to remove all of the pins and needles that had been the infrastructure of my overly elaborate hair-do, when I heard something hit my window.

_Little did I know  
That you were Romeo you were throwing pebbles_

The thunk was quickly followed by men yelling and the sounds of a scuffle. I ran over to the balcony to see what all the commotion was about

I never expected to see you, looking up at me with those eyes so full of something I couldn't place. Anger, perhaps? Sadness? The guards had you restrained; you were covered in snow from the scuffle.

"Milady," one of the guards called up to me, "this ruffian had this on his person." He held up the Ocarina of Time.

"I was just bringing it back, I swear!" you yelled furiously. "I promised! I was gonna give it to her earlier, but I was distracted…."

The other guard picked you up roughly. "We'll see what His Highness has to say about that, boy." They dragged you through the snow of the courtyard. You fought the entire way, but said nothing. You just looked at me, expecting me to do something.

I didn't though. I regret that to this very day.

_  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
And I was crying on the staircase  
Begging you please don't go, and I said:_

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes  
_

***

We were 18. You had managed to get back in my father's good graces by promising to stay away from me. He even allowed you to join the knights once he saw what a fighter you were. Luckily for us, he wasn't so proud as to put his own desires ahead of the welfare of Hyrule.

But, you know, just because we were supposed to stay a fair physical distance away from each other doesn't mean we didn't communicate. Teenagers have been meeting behind their parents' backs ever since there were teenagers.

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you_

_We keep quiet cause we're dead if they know_

It was autumn. Most of the trees were bare, and the air had a chilly bite to it. The leaves crunched beneath my feet. I saw you sitting on the bench near where we first met. You stood up as I approached, your cloak barely covering your broad shoulders.

"Zelda," you said quietly, "I'm glad you came."

"Did you expect me not to?" I replied confusedly.

You smiled. "Nah, I knew you'd be here. I.. I have something to tell you." You reached into your pocket and pulled out a letter stamped with the royal seal. I raised my eyebrows, puzzled. "My assignment," you said hoarsely.

I sat down on the bench, my head in my hands, biting my lip so the tears wouldn't come. I thought I could will them to stop if I tried hard enough. "This is my fault," I managed to choke out. "He found out about us and now he's sending you off to get killed so I can marry someone more 'suitable'," I spat angrily.

You sat down next to me and put your arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. I still remember, you smelled of cedar and leather. "Link," I mumbled, "you can't go."

"I have to, Zel. I'm a knight, it's my job. If it's any consolation-"

"It's not."

"-being sent to protect to Hyrule is every knight's dream. Besides", you smirked, "I've already saved the world once, on my own. With help, it should be a piece of cake."

I couldn't help but smile. "If I remember correctly, Mr. Hero of Time, you had help the first time."

"Right, right, some annoying harp-playing Sheikah who kept following me around providing cryptic clues and tantalizing tunes."

I shoved you off of the bench, and you landed in the leaves with a satisfying crunch. I pounced on top of you pinning you to the ground. "You couldn't have done it without me," I whispered. You rolled your eyes and in what seemed like the blink of an eye I was on my back, you were on top of me.

My heart was pounding, my throat was dry. "Link, if you die out there, I will personally find your body, bring you back to life, and then kill you myself."

You grinned wolfishly. "If I die, I'll become a ghost and haunt whichever undeserving suitor ends up marrying you until he goes insane."

I reached up and gently stroked the stubble on your chin. "You really mean that?

You leaned in closer. So close I could feel your breath on my lips. Your voice was low and husky.

"I promise."_  
_

_So close your eyes  
Escape this town for a little while_

_Cause you were Romeo I was a scarlet letter  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
But you were everything to me  
And I was begging you please don't go and I said:_

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

_  
_***

_Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel  
This love is difficult, but it's real,  
Don't be afraid  
We'll make it out of this mess  
It's a love story baby just say yes, oh,_

For the next seven years, I barely saw you. I was busy with my royal duties: running the council, listening to complaints, fending off suitors. You were rarely at the castle-always gone on border patrols, peace keeping missions, exploring, fighting… all those testosterone-laden activities that you never could work out of your system. It made you happy, which, in turn, made me happy. Or so I told myself.

We wrote, of course, but it wasn't the same. It never is.

***

_I got tired of waiting  
Wondering if you were ever coming around  
My faith in you was fading_

We were 25. You were promoted to head of the Knights of Hyrule upon the death of the, well, previous head. The letters slowed, which, I told myself, was because you were moving around a lot.

But, you know, I'd been feeling a bit conflicted lately. You knew how I felt, I know you did-I must have told you in every letter I sent. No reciprocation, though, which bothered me. Sometimes, I would have dreams where you would bed barwenches, and I was an unwilling observer. Normally, I'd just attribute such things to paranoia, insecurity, and jealousy, but when one has the Triforce of Wisdom, one tends to take bad dreams a bit more seriously…. I guess I needed to know the truth once and for all so I could get on with my life one way or the other.

I heard that you and your knights were on the way back from a resolving a border squabble with our oh-so-friendly northern neighbors. I could have waited until you got back to the castle, but for some reason I didn't. I grabbed my riding cloak and quickly hurried down to the stables.

"Milady," a rather confused Impa called after me, "where exactly are you going? The weather is wretched! This is no weather for riding."

"Sometimes, Impa," I replied, "the storms inside are worse than the storms outside."

I don't think she understood._  
_

_When I met you on the outskirts of town I said:  
Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone  
I keep waiting for you but you never come  
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think_

You jumped off of Epona-or, as much as a man in sopping wet clothing and armor can jump off a horse. I opened my mouth to say something, I don't remember what, exactly, but you placed a finger on my lips before I could get a word out.

"I don't go back on my promises, Zelda."

You reached into the leather pouch at your side and pulled out a small ornately carved wooden box. Your fingers ran nervously, gently over the patterns in the wood. You looked up at me, your hair plastered to your face by rain and sweat and blood, eyes as blue as the sky, as deep as the sea. And then, I finally understood what I had seen in your eyes since we were sent back in time: it was love. Not anger, or sadness, or lust. Just… love. Had it always been there, and I just never noticed?

You grinned sheepishly. "It's just taken me 21 years to work up the courage to do this."

_He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring  
And said:  
Marry me Juliet you'll never have to be alone  
I love you and that's all I really know  
I talked to your dad you'll pick out a white dress  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

And, I did.


End file.
